Computer technology is increasingly used in the travel industry to manage and support travel reservations, as well as data associated therewith. In particular, travel providers such as airlines have been adopting social media platforms in order to perform various activities. Some examples of the activities that may be performed using a social media platform include scanning of social media posts by various users to identify direct and indirect references to a particular airline, providing answers to specific airline and travel related questions received either publicly or privately via the social media platform, and providing specific service requests to a particular customer via the social media platform.
In some instances a social media post, such as an inquiry regarding a travel reservation that is particularly applicable to a single customer, may be made via the social media platform. In response to the social media post, a travel employee such as a social media manager for, e.g., an airline or an agent of a travel agency (e.g., an on-line travel agency), may need to address the specific social media post. It is to be appreciated that the response only needs to be directed to the particular customer, and not the general public. However, before responding to the post, the travel employee must first correctly identify the individual who generated the social media post by initiating a private conversation with the particular customer.
Social media posts are not prioritized in real time based on the details of the particular customers, despite the possibility that one or more of the customers be a high value customer of the airline who should receive prompt attention in comparison with customers of lesser value. When answering posts, the travel employee may make decisions without any knowledge of customer value. Furthermore, many social media posts are time sensitive and are only relevant for a relatively short period of time. For example, a customer may post a question about a connecting flight in a post while waiting for the connecting flight at an airport terminal. Thus, it may be especially desirable to identify and address time-sensitive social media posts as quickly as possible, before they become irrelevant.
Occasionally, an airline may also encounter another type of issue related to social media in which a user may post a comment that indirectly references the airline. Specifically, the user may post a negative or positive comment that indirectly references the airline; however, the particular airline is not mentioned by name in the post. For example, a user may post the following comment: “I hated my flight today from Heathrow to Nice”. While there is no specific reference to a particular airline, the user has still expressed negative feeling about his or her experience on a flight operated by the airline in this comment. Indeed, such a post may be of interest to the airline.
Improved methods, systems, and computer program products are needed for enabling a travel provider to manage social media posts.